


harvest moon: a wonderful life

by jeanheir



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26047828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeanheir/pseuds/jeanheir
Summary: In which Doyoung becomes a guide for the new farm-boy in town, Yuta and Taeyong try to land their friend a date, and Mark learns that not every customer is as nice as the last.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75
Collections: jaedo digest: vol. 2





	harvest moon: a wonderful life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [breadwin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadwin/gifts).



> to the prompter, i strayed a little from the original prompt but i hope you enjoy this all the same ^o^ 
> 
> i grew up playing harvest moon so i have more experience with it reference-wise (shout-out to whoever notices the murrey one) and i’ve only played animal crossing in passing, but i hope that i did both games justice!
> 
> a million thank you’s to romeo (and mik) who beta-ed this fic for me! <333 
> 
> mik, this is dedicated to you <3

Doyoung crushes the wilted flower in his gloved hands, thorns too soft to cut through anything. 

Taeyong’s energetic chirpings stop, and he gives him a concerned look. He hadn’t been aware of what the older man was talking about, too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention. Doyoung reassures Taeyong that everything’s okay and despite the furrow of his brows, he drops the topic. 

Taeyong’s dog Ruby, a papillon who he’d gotten when he was a kid, had just given birth to a litter of puppies and he was going over what name’s he’d give them. He’d asked Doyoung if he was going to consider adopting one, but was shot down the second he brought it up. While the sound of a pet of his own was intriguing, he was far too busy with work to properly take care of one. 

“You’re such a workaholic,” His friend shakes his head. “Even worse than Johnny – and you know how he is.”

Johnny was the owner of a little bakery on the edge of town and he was infamous for his peculiar pastries he could often be found selling to whoever happened to stroll past the shop. A few months back, for several days he could be found working away in the kitchen with nothing more than incredulous amounts of dough and an oven that never seemed to be switched off. Rumours had started spreading that Johnny had never left the bakery once during that period, so serious enough that the townspeople had come together to form an intervention. 

Doyoung shudders. “Now you’re just exaggerating. We have picnics here every week! I’m not so addicted to the shop that I can’t break away to spend time with a friend.”

“Except you haven’t broken away from anything. You’re probably thinking about the florist right now, that’s why you’ve been frowning hard for the last ten minutes.” 

“It hasn’t been that long!” Doyoung denies, a flush of shame creeping up his spine. 

Taeyong rolls his eyes, picking up a crustless sandwich and taking a bite out of it. “Yet you’re not denying that it’s related to work. You said you could handle taking over from Kun, are you sure everything’s alright?”

Kun had been the previous owner of the flower shop Doyoung was working at. He had been reluctant to let it go, but the job opportunities waiting for him out in the city were too good to let go, so he decided to leave the shop in Doyoung’s capable hands. At the time he’d been overjoyed at the prospect of running his own store, and even though he’d prepared himself down to the last minute, things still didn’t seem to be growing right. 

The issue wasn’t the store itself, from its modern decor to the funds Kun had been saving up to last more than had any repairs needed doing, but rather the people who worked there. Namely, Doyoung himself. The shop was poorly understaffed and almost nobody was willing to step up and take the multitude of jobs that needed handling. This single problem was the root of his growing anxiousness and it didn’t seem as though it was going to be solved anytime soon. 

For whatever reason, Doyoung still had no idea of how he managed it, Kun ran the whole store by himself. It wasn’t too late to ask him now, but Doyoung didn’t want to stress the other man more than he no doubtably had to be already, after all, the city was more than a little hectic. 

He sighs. “Everything’s fine, mostly fine anyway. It’s just that we’re low on employees right now.”

“Understaffed? Did Jaemin and the others quit?” Taeyong asks in surprise.

“Sort of, everyone apart from Donghyuck. They’ve decided to focus on school, which I completely understand, but it leaves me in a bit of trouble because there’s only so much the two of us can get done in a day. I really underestimated how many customers Kun gets.”

The other man hums in understanding. “I can ask around if you’d like? A lot of kids who visit the music studio are willing to do any job for a quick pay. I’ll have to warn you that they can be a bit rowdy though.” 

Doyoung snorts in reply. “I doubt that any can top Donghyuck in that. That’d be really helpful, thanks.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Taeyong grins, waving a lemon tart in his face. “Anything to get that frown off your face.”

The rest of their picnic is spent joking around and Doyoung leaves the feeling worlds lighter than he’d been when he’d started trekking up the mountain to join his friend for their weekly meet-ups, immensely grateful to have such a worrying load taken off of his chest.

“Doyoung!” Donghyuck practically yells, seemingly determined to get on Doyoung’s last nerve. It’s working of course, and he has to practically stop himself from firing the other boy in impulse. He’s not a bad kid, he really isn’t, but Doyoung would like him way more if he wasn’t so insistent on being the loudest person in the whole town. Either that, or he’s using the knowledge that he knows Doyoung can’t risk firing him to push his buttons. “Someone’s here and it looks like they want to apply for a job!”

It’s been a week since him and Taeyong had met up, and true to his word, the older man had recommended the shop to his students. Three of which turned up smelling of weed, and two who looked as though they’d been brought against their will. Whatever their circumstances, Doyoung was too desperate to care at this point, they’d signed a contract and were now officially employees of Cordial Fair. 

He wraps up a bouquet of pink chrysanthemums (A late Mother’s Day gift from a nervous student) and sets them with the rest of the day’s packages, ready to be delivered at a moment's notice. Doyoung exits the back room with a growing migraine, nodding encouragingly at one of the more eager kids as she shyly holds up her own flower assortment in approval as he makes his way to the front desk.

Waiting for him at the counter was an attractive man, with soft-looking brown hair and a matching flat-cap resting on top. His face lights up when he sees Doyoung approaching and Doyoung casts a glare towards Donghyuck who’s busied himself with helping one of the newbies. 

Doyoung gives his best smile and hopes that his potential employee hasn’t seen his little exchange. By the way his grin widens, Doyoung’s had no such luck whatsoever. 

“I heard that you’re looking to apply here, have you got a resume?” Resumes weren’t about to stop him from hiring anyone, but this man didn’t need to know that.

The man frowns at this, and before Doyoung can ask what’s wrong he mutters with a puzzled expression. “Taeyong didn’t say anything about needing a resume.“ Catching wind of Doyoung’s confusion, he waves a hand in apology. “Sorry, it’s nothing. It’s just the person who told me to come here said that you were in need of employees so I’d thought I’d drop by.” 

Doyoung’s eyes widened a little. “You know Taeyong?” 

“Oh, yeah! Kind of.” The man’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, as if he was reminiscing over a fond memory. “I met him a few days ago when I was looking around town. See, I just moved here from the capital so I thought I’d explore a little before I properly got settled in.”

Knowing Taeyong,their whole interaction wasn’t out of the question as the other man had no trouble with starting up conversations with people he hardly knew. Doyoung nods his head in acknowledgment. “Ah, I understand. In any case, don’t worry about the resume, it’s not that important right now. If you’re up for it, you can start tomorrow.”

The man’s jaw looks like it’s seconds away from dropping to the ground and Doyoung has to stop himself from raising his eyebrows. It’s not everyday that you’re granted a job with almost zero questions asked after all.

“Seriously?! You mean it?!” 

His exclamation attracts the attention of the others, though Doyoung doubts the man even notices. He’s too busy grinning at Doyoung like he’s just given him heaven on Earth (which is the furthest thing away from Cordial Fair, with all of the teens’ ruckus, but he’ll figure that out on his own later).

“Of course. We’re in need of more employees, remember?” Doyoung grabs a notebook resting near the register and picks up a red pen, sliding them outwards. “Just write your name and number here so we can organise something for tomorrow. You’ll probably be doing some odd jobs here and there, but I won’t set anything too difficult... okay?” He’s acutely aware that he’s two sentences away from a full-on rant and he wills the urge to go off the handle away. It probably wasn’t the best idea to intimidate the new-timer on their first meeting.

The man takes the note and scribbles on it with surprising speed, sliding it back towards Doyoung along with the pen. It’s not as messy as he’d been expecting and he lets his eyes trail over it for half a second before looking back at the other man. “Jung Jaehyun? Expect a call from us sometime in the afternoon.” 

If possible, Doyoung could’ve sworn that the man was practically glowing at this point. He hears a crash in the background, something that sounded suspiciously like a flowerpot, and he inhales in an attempt to settle his nerves. A curse quickly follows afterwards and Doyoung almost forgets to bid farewell to Jaehyun before rubbing his temples and searching for whoever the culprit of the noise is. The familiar twinkle of the door’s bell alerts his departure and a small gust of wind carrying the telltale scent of rain welcomes itself into the shop. 

“Great,” He mutters to himself as he fetches the dustpan and brush from one of the shop’s cabinets. “Rain.” Doyoung hadn’t brought an umbrella with him, and if the grey clouds were any indication of the shower they were about to experience, he was in for nothing but regret.

True to his word, Doyoung calls Jaehyun a little after twelve p.m. Their conversation was short and to the point, notifying Jaehyun about what he would be doing for the next couple of days and which shifts would work well for him, and soon enough the other man was pushing the door of Cordial Fair open with a smile. His clothes are more suited for gardening this time, and with a little amusement Doyoung notices that he’s left his brown cap at home. 

“Hi,” Jaehyun says, looking around the shop with awe. His eyes linger on an arrangement of pink and white lilies tied together with a yellow ribbon before they focus on Doyoung, eagerly waiting for his next instruction. “Where do I begin?”

It’s nice to have someone like Jaehyun working beside him. He was a quick learner and despite his obvious inexperience (he wasn’t exactly gifted with a green thumb like Jeno) he had enough skill to successfully manage well by himself without too much supervision from Doyoung. In fact, he was positive that he could fully indulge in his own work without wearily looking out of the corner of his eye to prevent him from breaking something. 

The teens had taken a liking to him (“Jaehyun’s not nearly as neurotic as you.” Donghyuck had unhelpfully supplied) which was more than Doyoung could ask for at this point (he was practically picking hires up from the street after all).He reminds himself to thank Taeyong the next time he sees him.

He watches as Jaehyun reads one of the plant seed packets with great concentration, lifting a brow when the man finally tears his eyes away and gets on with planting it into a medium-sized pot. His movements are gentle, gloved hands lightly pressing down on the compost before he catches Doyoung’s gaze. 

“Are these flowers exclusive to Mount V? I’ve never seen them before.” Jaehyun lifts up the pot and puts it on the metal trolley beside him. It’s two or three more pots away from filled up and Doyoung makes a mental note to remind Chenle to place them around the shop later. 

“The sun eskurds? Now that I think about it, I suppose they are. You can usually catch them blooming around the hills and mountains outside town this time of year. If you stay here long enough you might be able to see them light up for real.” A faint memory re-emerges itself, one spent watching in awe and delight as the lantern-like flowers glowed around Mount V, encompassing the town in a heavenly light and a faint smile crosses his face. 

Jaehyun takes another sachet this time belonging to violet bluebells and drops a few seeds into his hand. “Sounds like a fun time. I’m sure the buttercups I’m used to pale in comparison.” His laugh rings throughout the room and somehow, Doyoung finds himself joining in too. 

A few minutes later they revert back to a calm atmosphere, quietness once again wrapping itself around them. It’s far from awkward, though he can’t stop himself from longing to hear the other man’s soothing voice. In all sense of the word, it’s absurd. Doyoung hardly knows the man, hell he hadn’t known of his existence until two days ago, and yet he’s feeling all sorts of ridiculous things because of him. 

Doyoung flips through one of his many, many folders impatiently in an attempt to distract himself from his intrusive thoughts. 

Another packet is ripped open and Doyoung turns his head towards the sound, a sentence forming at the tip of his tongue. “I’ve been meaning to ask,” He starts, flicking through a section on venus fly traps. “What brought you to Mount V?”

Something within him hums in delight when Jaehyun lifts his head in surprise, expression quickly changing into a smile when he catches Doyoung closing his folder with a smooth click. He’d been finishing off his final pot by the looks of it, a small pile of compost in one of his hands. 

This is all for work’s sake, Doyoung tells himself. What kind of manager would he be if he didn’t try to familiarise himself with his colleagues?

Jaehyun, he learns, is an experienced farmer. For whatever reason Doyoung couldn’t figure out, he’d wanted to land a job at the town’s florist instead of an actual farm, but he wasn’t complaining. Apparently he’d moved over from a village in the south where Jaehyun had been tending to cattle and other animals under the supervision of his aunt. Whether it was to keep the conversation going or not, Doyoung found himself offering to give the other man a tour of the town when they were both free, at which Jaehyun had gratefully accepted. 

Later on that day when he’s returned to his home, turning on his T.V and switching to whichever channel seemed most appealing (he settles for a baking competition held somewhere in the city), his phone rings and Doyoung shuffles around for it for a few seconds before finally retrieving it from inside his coat pocket. Checking the user ID, the accepts the call and puts it on speaker. 

“Doyoung, hey.” Taeyong greets. “How are things?” There’s shuffling in the background combined with a few playful barks that make one of Doyoung’s eyebrows raise. 

“Good so far, thanks to you. The shop almost has a full house now so it’s getting easier to manage everything. How about things on your end?” He moves to turn the volume down on the T.V just as another bark carries out of the speaker. “Seems like you have a lot going on.” 

Taeyong laughs. “You could say that. Remember Ruby’s puppies? They’re getting much more hyper now that they’re growing. I’ve already given three away and have two more potential buyers.” 

“Really? That’s great!” Doyoung grins, genuinely meaning it. “They sound like quite the handful.” 

His friend hums fondly, no doubtably playing with one or two at this very moment. “It’s worse for my neighbours, I’m sure. I was completely unaware of how things the walls in the apartment were until Ruby gave birth.”

They continue to converse for a few more minutes, exchanging family updates and other menial things until Doyoung feels the familiar itch of hunger growing and bids farewell to his friend, promising to text and call when he was free. It’s only when he’s hung up with the older man that he remembers that he hadn’t asked about Jaehyun, nor how they met. He quickly sends a lazy text ‘how’d you know jaehyun btw’ before turning his phone off and making way for the kitchen, thoughts busy about what meal he was going to make.

The rest of the day goes rather quickly, and with a light heart Doyoung goes to sleep. 

TAEYONG: the new guy in town?  
TAEYONG: i think it was near the train station. he looked a bit lost so i gave him a few directions  
TAEYONG: also I let him know that you were hiring 

Doyoung wakes up to the irritating beeps of his alarm, one that he’d contemplated throwing out multiple times until begrudgingly remembering the fact that it’s the only  
one that never fails to wake him up – which is strange in itself because he hardly dreams. Illuminated numbers read 6:35AM, green hues momentarily blinding him until he shuts it off with a sigh and yawns tiredly. 

The room is dark, only barely lit by the street lamps lightening up the street. As he moves out of bed and heads towards the bathroom, Doyoung humours the thought of buying new blinds to block out the slithers of the morning. It’s still a little dark outside, telltale signs of dawn approaching along the horizon.

After gracing himself with his first sip of coffee Doyoung retrieves his phone from his nightstand and turns it on, nearly choking at the three notifications that greet him with a set of loud pings. At first glance there didn’t appear to be anything worth worrying over, just a friend good-naturedly talking about a brief encounter with a stranger, but from prior experience Doyoung had a feeling that it wasn’t the case. Simply put: Taeyong was up to something. 

ME: that’s all?

Five minutes pass until Taeyong responds, and in the meantime Doyoung busies himself with stacking away dry dishes from yesterday’s meal. 

TAEYONG: of course!  
TAEYONG: what kind of person do you take me for?  
TAEYONG: he really resembled a puppy, wide-eyed and everything  
TAEYONG: you’d confuse him for a tourist if you didn’t know him

ME: and you do?

TAEYONG: now i do ( ^_^)/~~~

ME: (ｰｰ;)  
ME: well thanks for telling me  
ME: the guy nearly had a heart attack when i asked him for his resume

TAEYONG: i keep telling you to be more relaxed at times like these! what would have happened if you scared him off (ToT)/~~~

ME: it’s hardly my fault!  
ME: besides  
ME: he got the job in the end 

TAEYONG: i wonder why *^_^*  
TAEYONG: something to do with his good looks, perhaps?  
TAEYONG: //_o\

Doyoung resists the urge to roll his eyes, ignoring the warmth rushing to his cheeks in favour of proving his friend wrong in the quickest way possible. Sure, Jaehyun was on the more attractive side of the spectrum (somewhere near the top, his brain unhelpfully supplies), but that did not mean that Doyoung would forgo his professionalism just because he was hot. It was unthinkable, outrageous even! 

TAEYONG: i can feel you spasming from across town  
TAEYONG: it’s totally acceptable to be attracted to someone you know (｡ì _ í｡)  
TAEYONG: if it makes you feel any better, i put in a good word in for you!  
TAEYONG: he thinks you’re a capable individual who jumps at the chance to start new projects and took over the flower shop from a friend because you realised how much it meant to him instead of the anxious workaholic that i’ve come to love ^o^ 

ME: ..  
ME: but those are all true  
ME: though i guess that explains why rays of light were practically bursting out of his eyes when we first met  
ME: it was like he’d seen a god or something 

TAEYONG: exactly!  
TAEYONG: a lot of people admire you, you know  
TAEYONG: (*¯︶¯*) that’s great

DOYOUNG: ha  
DOYOUNG: tell that to donghyuck and the rest of cf’s kids

TAEYONG: especially donghyuck O(∩_∩)O~~  
TAEYONG: i’ve got to go, one of the puppy’s buyers are here  
TAEYONG let me know how things go with jaehyun ;)!

DOYOUNG: i owe you that much （ ｉ _ ｉ ）  
DOYOUNG: good luck 

He exits out of the messaging app and checks the time, eyes widening at how much time had passed. It’s practically been an hour and Doyoung chastises himself for losing track of it. He barely acknowledges the chirps of nearby birds as he slips on a thin raincoat and toes on his shoes, briefly checking his pockets for his keys (both house and shop) before opening the front door to his home and locking it with impressive speed. 

Today was a Sunday, and as vague as that sounded, it had a multitude of paperwork needing completing for the week ahead. It was also the one day he (hypothetically) had to himself (small orders of plant pots and other miscellaneous plants were still on the table, unfortunately). For the first time in a while, Cordial Fair would be a peaceful space aside from a few rings of the doorbell, and he could hardly wait. 

Doyoung scans a pair of mammillarias, careful not to prick his fingers on their spikes and places them in a small plastic bag. A girl no older than eight years old hands him some cash and before he can return the change she’s rushing out of the shop, face flushed with excitement. 

He chuckles to himself as he watches her leave and pushes the till open to put away the bills. Doyoung moves out from behind the counter to inspect the shelves around the shop, making note of which ones to restock in the back of his head. He’d been behind the counter for more than two hours now and the lack of movement was beginning to catch up with him. The street outside was a little less busy than usual, no one about apart from the elderly going on their daily walks. 

Ten more minutes are spent uneventfully before another customer comes in, this time a middle-aged man, greeting him with a polite nod and shuffling towards the left of the shop where the seasonal flowers were located. Doyoung leaves him to pick out a bouquet, smoothly returning to behind the counter once he’s summoned with a sheepish cough. 

“Hello, how can I help you today?” Doyoung smiles tactfully, taking note of the other man’s empty hands. He briefly wonders if it’s another case of apologetic flowers, which were more than popular enough among the clueless businessmen that often visited Cordial Fair – for reasons undisclosed. 

“I was wondering if you had any sword lilies?” He wrings his hands nervously. “My wife is being released from hospital on Monday and they’re her favourites. She’d been planting them all around the garden before the accident.” 

He nods sympathetically. “If you don’t mind waiting a few minutes I can look around the back for you.” His earlier presumption had been far more wrong than he’d originally thought. 

“Please do!” 

And with that Doyoung retreats to the other room, leaving the man to watch anxiously behind as he goes on about his search. Doyoung sifts through a multitude of yellow bouquets (sunflowers, daffodils, buttercups and more) before finally finding the lilies. When he returns to the front the man sighs in relief, thanking Doyoung profusely as he pays for the arrangement before exiting the shop, his footsteps marginally lighter than they’d been when he’d first stepped inside. 

When Cordial Fair’s metallic clock finally strikes 4PM Doyoung unties his work apron with a poorly stifled yawn. Despite the time, the warmth of his bed seemed heavenly and he had to stop himself from walking back towards his house because he’d promised Yuta that he would drop by the inn as soon as he closed the shop. 

On any other day he was pretty understanding but Doyoung had the feeling that he wouldn’t take too kindly to being stood up for the third time that month. After flipping the hanging sign he slips his coat on and exits the shop, locking the door glass door with a few turns of a key. Without bothering to lower the shutters, he walks off in the direction of the inn. It was a pretty safe neighbourhood after all. 

He pulls out his phone to check his notifications and sighs when he sees the latest one. It’s an email from a customer who ordered a whole batch of petunias, or should he say ex-customer seeing as they’d ignored the three day cancellation notice and decided that they didn’t in fact want to purchase them anymore. Doyoung sets a reminder to forward the message to Mark, who’d not doubtedly be stumped at the news.

The younger man had been ecstatic to finally put together his own set, so much so that he’d practically begged Doyoung to let him stay after-hours so he could perfect it to the best of his abilities. Hopefully there’d be someone interested in buying his arrangement before it was too late. 

Doyoung cleared the rest of the messages and slipped his phone back into his pocket with a short sigh. He crosses the road with a small frown, momentarily stopping when he sees a familiar face further down the street. 

Holding a map and two carrier bags, Jung Jaehyun stands across from him with his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. Doyoung nearly feels bad when he walks up to him without warning, successfully earning a shout of surprise from the other man. “You really scared me there.” Jaehyun exhales, clutching his heart almost comically. 

“Sorry about that.” Doyoung apologises with what he hopes sounds like sincerity. In all truthfulness he was genuinely amused at Jaehyun’s shock. “Where are you off to?”

Jaehyun points to a spot on the map, the area around it so faded that it’s hard to make out the words written on it. “I’m trying to find,” He squints his eyes. “Peach Blossom Pastures, my aunt owns it. She said I was free to drop by anytime but I can’t work out where it is.”

“No wonder. If you go past the fence over there,” Doyoung points towards a clump of trees bordered by a rickety-looking fence. “And go north, you should reach a well and from there if you follow the stream downwards you should be able to find the farm.” 

The look Jaehyun gives him is similar to one of utter disbelief. “You cannot be serious. That sounds like a full on trek.”

Doyoung laughs. “I’m afraid not. I’d guide you but I’m going in the opposite direction.” 

The other man visibly deflates, sparing one last look towards the map in his hands before folding it into one of his bags. He runs his now-free hand through his hair in a way that catches Doyoung’s attention more than it should have and he tears his gaze away. “Forget it, I’d probably end up even more lost than I already am now. What’s got you occupied, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Of course not. I’m meeting a friend at the Lucky’s Inn – the one with the huge four-leaf clover on the roof.” He adds, noticing confusion returning to the other man’s face. “I’ve been holding it off for a while, to be honest. Busy with work and all.” 

Jaehyun hums in understanding, silent for a few seconds before he lights up. “Lucky’s Inn is in the marketplace, right? I’ve actually been meaning to look around that side of town for a while too, but I could never figure out how to get there. Do you mind if I join you?”

It’s Doyoung’s turn to be surprised now – towards Jaehyun’s serious lack of direction or his forwardness, he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t necessarily opposed to the other man joining him, quite the opposite in fact, though he was to the amount of gossip that Yuta would no doubtably start if they came in the bar together. Especially if Taeyong had gotten to him first. Those two were the biggest schemers in his life after all. Staying inside all day with nothing to do apart from wipe and dry beer glasses did more harm than good, apparently. 

There’s that issue, and another one that was becoming abundantly clear. The silent pleading that Jaehyun was sending his way was going to be the end of him. Seriously. Doyoung averts his eyes from Jaehyun’s and lets out a small sigh. If he kept this up any longer he would have a lot of trouble saying no to to the other man in the future. 

“Not at all,” Doyoung nervously drums his fingers against his thighs. “Did you have any specific shop that you wanted to go to?”

The grin that takes over Jaehyun’s face sends warmth rushing all over Doyoung’s skin and it takes everything within him to prevent himself from saying something stupid. “That’s great! Thank you so much for this, I really owe you one.” 

Ignoring the erratic beats of his heart, Doyoung pulls out his phone to shoot Yuta a message. He needs to focus on something other than Jaehyun’s dimples, the breathtaking way his hair falls over his eyes and his soothing voice as he hums some song Doyoung’s never heard of under his breath. Also, he really needs to let his friend know that he’s going to be running a little late. 

ME: so  
ME: something came up 

YUTA: this better be good  
YUTA: im beginning to think that u don’t wanna spend time with me anymore 

ME: don’t be ridiculous  
ME: im relying on the fact that taeyong already told you about the new guy in town?

YUTA: yeah, what about it?  
YUTA: if u wanna gush about ur crush, i’ll be all ears AFTER u tell me why ur not coming to the inn tonight  
YUTA: if ur excuse isn’t dumb ofc

ME: i knew it  
ME: anyways  
ME: he asked me to show him around the marketplace so im gonna be at the inn later than we planned

YUTA: WHAT  
YUTA: FR?  
YUTA: AND UR NOT DENYING THAT U HAVE A CRUSH  
YUTA: U BETTER NOT BE PULLING MY LEG

ME: yes FR  
ME: it’s not a crush, im just being a good manager 

YUTA: WOW  
YUTA: DAMN OK  
YUTA: ur excuse far exceeded my expectations, well done  
YUTA: and sure  
YUTA: taking the new hottie out perfectly fits the role of a flower shop manager 

ME: idek what you mean by that  
ME: anyways ive gotta fo  
ME: go*  
ME: jaehyuns talking to me

YUTA: im so proud  
YUTA: ^_^

They arrive at their destination with little delay, grey rain clouds rolling overhead and Jaehyun bustles from stall to stall, wallet out and ready to purchase anything and everything that caught his fancy. His excitement was both surprising (most of the hardware and trinkets sold were basic at minimum) and refreshing all the same. Before the other man can be swayed into buying a bizarre-looking silk rug by YangYang, a merchant with a reputation for scamming the unexpected, Doyoung redirects Jaehyun towards a stand selling ceramic animals, paying the aforementioned merchant’s indignant huffs no attention. 

“Woah,” Jaehyun laughs, peering down at a family of golden retrievers. There’s a mother, a father and two puppies wrapped around each other, each with different coloured collars painted around their porcelain necks. “How much are they?”

The man behind the stall smiles brightly. “2,200 bells. If you’re planning on buying them I’ll give you a discount seeing as you like them so much – Oh! Doyoung! Fancy seeing you here.” His smile grows warmer. 

“Taeil? It’s been a while hasn’t it?” Doyoung grins when he fully takes in the other man’s appearance. He almost hadn’t recognised him, hair drastically different from the shade he’d last seen him in. The last time they’d spoken was a while ago, and the ceramics worker had been rocking a bright red undercut and a few face piercings. In comparison to today, he was like a completely different person. His hair back to its natural black and his face free of any jewellery at all. “I hardly recognised you.” 

Taeil laughs sheepishly, preparing a box to pack away the dogs after collecting Jaehyun’s cash. “Well, turns out that following a hippy and a homeless man into the woods isn’t the greatest way to find yourself. Not that I regret any of it of course! Just wasn’t the path for me.”

Jaehyun gives Doyoung a stupefied look but says nothing, and Doyoung has a difficult time suppressing his snort as Taeil hands the other man his box, smiling as wide as ever. “I’m sure that Johnny had quite a lot to say about it.” The two had been in an on and off relationship throughout the older man’s more rambunctious phase and to say that tensions had been high (whether that be because of that piercings or not) would be putting it lightly. 

“On the contrary, I think he liked the change. Looking that intimidating and helping out around the bakery had been doing more harm than good.” Taeil laughs good-naturedly. “I see you’ve made a new friend?” He looks curiously at Jaehyun.

“This is Jaehyun. He’s new in town, less than a month I think. I’m giving him a taste of Mineral Town’sa market before I go and meet Yuta at the inn. Want to join us?”

Taeil frowns. “I’d love to, but Johnny’s hit another one of his slumps. He probably won’t be out of it until Thursday and I want to be there with him. Next time, I’ll bring the both of us.” He directs his gaze at Jaehyun, smiling kindly. “And Jaehyun, it was great to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

“Thank you ... and good luck to Johnny.”

They leave the stand with promises to get in touch (Doyoung) and recommendations to other pottery businesses (Jaehyun) and explore around the market until Doyoung feels the familiar vibration of his phone in his jacket pocket. It’s an incoming call from Yuta and he briefly considers ignoring it until the small pinch of worry in his gut warns him that it might be important. Possibly. 

Jaehyun lingers near a pair of sisters who are selling shish-kebabs and other grilled meats, and Doyoung watches their interactions with mild entertainment. As long as he wasn’t getting scammed there was no need to be so overprotective of the other man. If you could even call it that. 

He accepts the call with a tap of his index finger, slightly wincing at how loud the voice on the other end is. “Where are you!? It’s been two hours! I might forgive you if you say that you ended up at a certain someone’s house, but you’re STILL gonna be treading on thin ice.”

“Hello to you too.” Doyoung frowns, due to the loudness or the assumption he wasn’t too sure. “We’re still at the market-“

“What!? I’m not trying to be rude here, but that place is hardly exciting at all. Are you trying to bore him out of his mind?”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you. But Jaehyun’s been wanting to go here for a while, remember, and it’s on the way to the inn so we’re really not that far. Half an hour tops, okay?”

Yuta huffs, soon followed by the sound of manic laughing in the background. “Sorry, that was Hendery.” Hardly any surprise there. “Fine, fine. Only because you seem so adamant about spending more time with him.” His friend says in mock-exasperation, a feat that would be far more effective if it weren’t for the fact that Doyoung could practically hear the smirk in his voice. 

“Whatever.” Doyoung hears himself muttering, drowned out by the pleased cackle Yuta lets out. He absentmindedly looks around the market, taking note of sales going well and not so well as he waits for Jaehyun to return. The man himself walks over a few seconds later, the phone call ended sometime before that. In his free hands (he’d left his bags over with Doyoung while he looked around some more) are paper bags filled with skewered meat. Jaehyun looks oddly pleased with himself, for whatever reason Doyoung can’t figure out.

“I wasn’t sure which ones you preferred so I brought the mixed one.” He passes one to Doyoung, along with a few napkins. “You look a bit flushed, are you alright?”

Doyoung swallows thickly. “Me? Oh yeah, I’m fine. I think it’s something to do with the weather...” He hadn’t realised he was burning up at all. Jaehyun doesn’t comment on how unsure he sounds and Doyoung appreciates it immensely, focusing his attention on holding half of Jaehyun’s load instead of his racing thoughts. “I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but do you mind if we head to the inn now? My friend’s getting a bit impatient.”

A look of worry crosses over the other man’s features and he nods his head in understanding. “Not at all. I was imposing a bit after all.” He smiles reassuringly and readjusts his hold on his belongings, gesturing for Doyoung to lead the way.

“Golden retrievers huh?” Doyoung hums as they leave the area, muttering a quick apology to a woman who he’d narrowly avoided bumping into. It’s still light out, though a few street lamps are switching on to illuminate signs around the town. The cobblestone path around them is slightly uneven and memories of stumbling down them from his childhood come flooding back. 

Jaehyun smiles, looking at one of the many fruit trees planted around the small village. “I grew up with a litter of them. My cousins eventually adopted them when I left town.”

“That’s sweet of them.” He imagines a younger version of Jaehyun, face full of pure joy as he plays with a puppy or two, and Doyoung feels the corners of his lips tug upwards. “Ever considered getting another pet?” 

They turn a corner and Lucky’s Inn comes into view, wooden doors wide open and loud voices filter out of it, full of drunk rambles and orders of more alcohol. Jaehyun tilts his head thoughtfully. “Never really thought about it to be honest. I guess if someone’s offering, I wouldn’t say no?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Doyoung nods towards the inn. “This is the place. I have to warn you – it gets pretty noisy around this time.” 

Jaehyun laughs at this, seeming thoroughly entertained by whatever he could hear from the inside of the building. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m used to these kinds of things.” And with that the two of them enter the inn, finding a table near the bar while Doyoung searches for Yuta. 

True to his word, Jaehyun isn’t perturbed by the volume at all. In fact, he seems to be right at home. The low-hanging ceiling lamps illuminate his face in a warm glow, and despite himself, Doyoung can’t look away. 

His thoughts are interrupted when a glass of rum is placed on the table in front of him, soon followed by the scrape of a chair. Across from him sits Yuta in his work uniform, eyes holding a particular glint that calls for trouble. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it! Thanks for the heads up.” His eyes dart towards Jaehyun who is conversationally entertaining Ten, a dancer from somewhere in the north (Doyoung had never really tried to learn the specifics, though they’d spoken a few times whenever they ran into each other) and his grin turns into a shit-eating one. 

Doyoung rolls his eyes. “You wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I didn’t come today.” 

“Right you are.” Yuta nods in approval. “Now. Tell me all about this Jaehyun guy.” He nurses an orange cocktail almost filled to the brim with ice and leans forward. 

“Drinking on the job? I wouldn’t expect any less from you.” He snorts. Doyoung doesn’t care, not really, about the fact that his friend seems to be inhaling a different beverage every time he sees him. It’s Yuta’s business after all, but any chance to steer the conversation away from the man with dimples sitting away from them. Ten smirks and moves his chair closer to Jaehyun and Doyoung looks away. 

“I’ll have you know that I take bartending quite seriously. The liquor's just a way to keep my nerves away.” His friend kicks him under the table and Doyoung tries his best not to wince. “Stop changing the subject. You owe me this much.” 

“There’s nothing to tell, and besides, he’s right there.” Doyoung hisses. The place where Yuta kicked is starting to throb, and Doyoung briefly wonders if he’s going to be going home with a limp tonight. “It’s exactly what Taeyong told you, okay.” 

“Please. The only people within hearing range are Joohyun and Seulgi, and trust me when I say that they don’t give a damn about what’s going on outside of themselves. They’ve drunk enough brandy to drown a horse.” Yuta takes a sip of his drink, shivering in disgust at the taste. “Taeyong’s been telling me that you’re in denial about everything and anything, so.” 

Doyoung lets out a groan. “Is it too late to take back what I just said.” 

“Yep.” 

Before he can even attempt to defend himself, Yuta is waving Jaehyun over towards them. He looks slightly surprised until his eyes trail over to Doyoung, bidding goodbye to Ten as he moves the two of them. The look in his friend’s eyes turns shy from predatory and Doyoung disguises his long sigh with the glass of his still full rum. It was going to be a long night. 

“Hey there, I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting just yet. The name’s Yuta.” 

Jaehyun accepts the hand held out to him and smiles politely, exchanging the sentiment with a little less eagerness. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope that you don’t mind me being here.”

“Not at all! Doyoung’s spoken a lot about you so I couldn’t just turn away a friend. So, what brings you to this side of the country? We don’t get much visitors around here.”

Doyoung sips his drink with a little more fervour than necessary and tries to ignore the sly looks Yuta sends his way. Jaehyun answers each question thrown his way with acceptable responses (if his friend’s growing grin was anything to go by) and shoots Doyoung a smile. He’d really have to apologise for his friends behaviour later on. 

He wakes up to a splitting headache and a sore throat. The first was an easy enough mystery to solve - he’d gotten super drunk last night. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, and it certainly had helped him become numb and Yuta to a point where he could no longer focus on anything apart from the buzzing feeling around his ears, but now he was seriously regretting his earlier decisions. 

On the other hand, the sore throat was an issue that he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. Doyoung wasn’t the rambling type when he was intoxicated, and he seriously doubted that he’d gotten to a point where he’d started a brawl with Yuta over his loose mouth, so what could be the cause?

He massages his head in an attempt to soothe the ringing in his ears and heads into his kitchen to get himself a cup of water. Once Doyoung starts to feel a little better he sets about preparing his breakfast. Looking at the time on his phone, he had around half an hour before he had to leave for Cordial Fair and he opens up the messaging app and selects Yuta’s profile.

ME: i hate you  
ME: but thanks for taking me home last night 

Knowing the other man, he was probably still asleep. Such luxuries came with having the evening shift, he supposes. 

When the clock strikes 8AM, Doyoung leaves his house and heads towards the flower shop. The headache is slowly subduing, though he doubts it’ll stay that way with the company joining him today (read: Donghyuck). He runs a hand through hazardly brushed hair and opens up the shop, flipping the door’s sign open and heading towards the back to set his stuff down. 

The rest of the group should be trailing in in at least 10 minutes, leaving him with enough time to restock some types of the more exotic plants without much trouble. The last time he’d let one of them help led to a collection of vases getting crashed, and he really wasn’t looking forward to dealing with any of that again.

Fifteen minutes later the younger employees of Cordial Fair enter the shop, door bell ringing repeatedly until the last of them arrive. Compared to his usual attitude, Mark looks slightly dejected. Doyoung’s lips downturn in a frown. Over text, the younger man had seemed determined to overcome his disappointment in his arrangement’s cancellation, but it seemed like he’d only gotten worse. 

After making sure that everyone’s doing their respective jobs, Doyoung pulls Mark to the side in concern. “How are you holding up? I’m sorry about what happened with your order, but I’m beginning to get a bit worried.” 

Mark flinches a little but meets Doyoung’s eyes all the same. “I could be better, I guess. I’m upset about that, but even more so about how wasteful it was. They’re probably gonna be put back in storage right?”

“That, or we could display them outside the shop. I’ve been thinking that the storefront looks a little empty, and who knows? Maybe it’ll bring in more customers.”

Doyoung watches as Mark’s face lights up, an immediate 180 from earlier. “You’d do that? Really?” 

“Why not? I agree that it’d be a waste to have them rot away in the back. As long as you’re willing to help, of course.” 

The rest of the day continues as normally as any other, and if the others notice the spring in Mark’s step, they don’t say anything. As soon as the final customers leave, they close up for the day and exchange half-hearted goodbyes. Mark stays behind for a few minutes longer to discuss what they would be doing for the storefront display before the two join Donghyuck who was waiting outside. 

Beside him, to Doyoung’s surprise, is Jaehyun. He would have easily brushed it off any other day, but seeing as today was one of his days off, Doyoung couldn’t really fathom why he was here. 

At the sound of Cordial Fair’s door being locked, Jaehyun and Donghyuck turn their attention to Doyoung and Mark. Donghyuck moves forward to wrap his arm around the older boy’s shoulders, his usual cheeky grin etched upon his face. “Mark, you’re not gonna believe this.” He directs his gaze towards Doyoung and barks out a loud laugh. “Doyoung’s got a date!” 

The look that Doyoung gives him does nothing to control the situation except from fueling Donghyuck’s amusement, which for the nth time he easily admits that he doesn’t like being the center of. He turns to Jaehyun for support but instead of the pitying expression he’d been expecting, Doyoung’s given one that looks more embarrassed if anything. To say that he was confused by the whole ordeal would be an understatement. “Where did you even get that idea from?” He stuffs the key into his pockets, tries not to sound too interested. Chances were that it would elicit more chortling. 

Donghyuck opens up his mouth to answer but is beat to it by Jaehyun, whose ears are now completely red. “I know you didn’t want anyone to know about what happened last night, but Donghyuck was asking why I was here so I just told him a little bit.” 

Last night? A trickle of dread drops down Doyoung’s spine. What could have possibly happened that would leave the other man so flustered? He thinks back to his sore throat and the dread only grows more rapid. Had he … said something? Doyoung tries to piece together last night’s events but he grows to a dead end when trying to think about anything past Yuta’s drunk mumbling. At that point he was sure that he’d been long gone too. 

Doyoung’s knocked out of his thoughts by a howl of pain from Donghyuck, the boy rubbing his arm in a place that had grown red from Mark’s pinched fingers. The older boy mutters something along the lines of ‘Read the room dude’ and apologises briefly to Doyoung and Jaehyun before dragging his friend away. 

“What happened last night?” Doyoung asks, trying to keep his face calm. “My memory is a bit foggy to be honest..” 

Jaehyun’s face drops at the question, and suddenly the air between them becomes awkward. 

“I’m sure that if you gave me a quick recap I’d remember? I haven’t drank that much in a while.” It’s a terrible excuse, he knows. 

The other man rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Well after you passed out at the inn Yuta told me to take you home, so he gave me your address and I dropped you off.” 

Doyoung has to stop himself from sighing in relief. If that was all, then there really wasn’t anything to worry about. Jaehyun’s presence at Cordial Fair was all a coincidence (the man did tend to get lost) and Donghyuck’s earlier remarks were nothing more than his usual teasing. 

He’s about to ask Jaehyun why he looks so flustered (an fever maybe?) when the other man continues on. “Then you started to look really ill so you rushed off to the bathroom to throw up. You were in there for a while and I was starting to get worried so I went in to check up on how you were holding up.” 

It was embarrassing, but not nearly so much as he’d been expecting. The guilt Doyoung feels increases the more he hears about last night, and on the more positive side, his respect for Jaehyun. “I’m really sorry that you had to see that all.” He frowns. “I hope that I didn’t cause you any more trouble later on? I owe you big time.” 

Jaehyun smiles but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “Quite the opposite actually.”

Doyoung remembers Donghyuck’s earlier words and his eyes widen in horror. “Oh no. I didn’t come on to you did I? I’m so sorry Jaehyun I-”

Jaehyun interrupts him with a troubled look. “You don’t need to apologize… because I didn’t dislike it.” 

Doyoung's mouth practically hangs wide open, disbelief no doubtedly written all over his features. He’s distinctly aware of how hot his face feels, thoughts short-circuiting as he repeats the other man’s words in his head. 

“-You don’t need to worry, we didn’t actually do anything because I was afraid of something like this happening.” 

Something like what? 

Jaehyun wets his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue and breathes in softly. “I really want to believe that what happened last night wasn’t completely one-sided on my part, but I won’t hold it against you if you don’t feel the same way.” Doyoung watches the movement and drags his eyes away when it becomes too much. “You were drunk after all.”

A cold, unfamiliar feeling settles itself in Doyoung’s stomach and suddenly he’s finding it that much harder to breathe. 

“Yesterday you said that you wanted to visit Peach Blossom Pastures with me, and I was a little too excited so I came today,” Jaehyun clears his throat. “Don’t feel pressured to come along or anything, I get that it’s pretty short notice.” 

Doyoung’s mouth feels dry (he doesn’t remember closing it) as he processes all of this new information. He’d like to think of himself as smart, but this entire situation was leaving him winded. At least it gave him answers for his sore throat, he thinks humorlessly. Nothing like puking his guts out while a far-too-kind acquaintance watches off from afar. 

He wrinkles his nose at the realization that he’d been flirting with Jaehyun minutes afterwards and Doyoung struggles to overpower the grimace taking over his features. The situation could not be worse. 

Jaehyun watches him with an expression combined with both hurt and embarrassment, and Doyoung does his best to put on something similar to a reassuring smile. He’s almost ninety percent sure that it doesn’t work, which means the odds are definitely not in his favor right now. 

“Look,” Doyoung starts, internally cringing at how flat it sounds. “I’m sorry that I’ve been giving you mixed signals. Truth be told, I’ve kind of been suppressing my feelings about you all this time. Which is why drunk me decided to take over yesterday.” He laughs awkwardly. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t regret what happened, even if I don’t remember most of it.” 

Jaehyun’s brown eyes lock on to his own for a few seconds own in a way that seems like he’s trying to detect any lies, and neither of them break it until the excited voices of children fill the silence, school uniforms caked with dirt and bags wet with what he could only assume was pond water. They seem oddly pleased with themselves and the innocence of it all drives out a laugh from him. 

Doyoung smiles at them as they run by and Jaehyun smoothly dodges their path, grinning after them. He looks back towards Doyoung and lets out an exhausted but relieved sigh. There’s almost no trace of his earlier nerves apart from that, and Doyoung infinitely likes this particular look on him way more. His head is still throbbing from his hangover and he raises a hand to soothe it, internally cursing himself for forgetting to ibuprofen to work with him. 

“So what now?” Jaehyun moves closer towards him, close enough that Doyoung can smell his subtle cologne and the flicker of his eyelashes as he stares at Doyoung with an emotion similar to adoration in his eyes.

This time Doyoung doesn’t look away. 

Instead, he smiles softly to the other man, threading his fingers through Jaehyun’s own and relishing at the jump that follows soon after. “How about we go and pay a visit to Peach Blossom Pastures?”

**Author's Note:**

> hiya, if you made it to the end, tysm for reading and i hope you enjoyed this fic!
> 
> originally, the ending was supposed to be after doyoung and jaehyun’s adventure at P.B.F, but whilst writing it out i thought that the current ending fit more, so here we are :3
> 
> some headcanons that i had planned but didn’t end up using include:  
> \- jaehyun adopting one of ruby’s puppies and naming it hyogi (name credits go to mik)  
> \- mentions of markhyuck  
> \- jaehyun applying for a job at cordial fair because he wanted a change of scenery from his usual one
> 
> comments and kudos are greatly appreciated <3
> 
> you can find me [here!](https://mobile.twitter.com/jeanheir)  
> 


End file.
